All the Above

In the book, The Other Wes Moore, basketball serves as a unifying element for Wes and his friends. Their lives are described to be similar in the hurdles they experience such as their environment, socio-economic struggles, crime, drug presence in their community, and academic struggles. Their escape came from basketball at one point in time in the book. The good thing about activities such as sports is they consist of three beneficial aspects, whereas many activities that are commonly used to serve as an escape or coping mechanism only include one or two. These being the social factor with other people who may or may not be experiencing the same things, the physical factor which allows you to simultaneously get some healthy activity in, and the fact that most sports are shared outside. That last element alone can greatly affect mood and mental health to levels that most people aren't truly aware of. Unfortunately many people now turn to technology as their coping mechanism which I feel mainly serves as an escape from one's problems without any progress towards actually confronting those problems. That is not to say that sports are the only activity that serves as a healthy coping mechanism, but they are the most common activity that contains those three aspects. Traveling, hiking, and some forms of meditation also consist of those crucial components. I would explain the difference between these types of methods as one loosening or improving your state and frame of mind, while the other can simply put them on pause. This is an occurrence that is supported by various studies and a myriad of research, but also by my personal experience.

Over some time, I've observed different distractions I lean towards when experiencing different emotions or upon facing difficult situations. There are many, but four in particular can be utilized best to represent how I define these activities as entertainment or distractions and my connection with them. Working out at the gym, hanging out with friends and family, playing video games and listening to music. There is nothing wrong with playing video games, but overtime I recognized a delineation between when I would play video games purely for entertainment or as a diversion from facing my problems. In acknowledging which was the true motivator, I was able to better understand how certain situations in life were truly affecting my mental state. I mentioned working out at the gym and hanging out with friends and family, since both do similar things for me in dissimilar ways. Both improve my mood drastically and help alleviate stress. One through the self-imposed structure and discipline, and one through socializing with people with mutual caring and understanding. That being said, only music can compel me to interpret and understand my emotions at the time or to contrive the most optimal path to navigate an impediment. This reality further aligns with music's presence in each of the other methods. Playing music that fits certain genres can match my mood or reposition my frame of thought to a different wavelength entirely. Over time, I’ve come to realize there's a healthy mix of all of these types of  mechanisms with different ratios depending on the situation I'm facing that can help me the most in any situation.